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Resolutions Adopted at the
67th Annual Conference of Mayors
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 11-15, 1999 |
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JOBS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
PUBLICLY-FUNDED, TRANSITIONAL JOBS FOR THE
HARD-TO-EMPLOY
WHEREAS, time limits on cash assistance and other new welfare requirements are
prompting cities, counties, and states across the nation to search for new strategies to
help hard-to-employ welfare recipients;
WHEREAS, city, county, and state welfare-to-work programs increasingly are
serving welfare recipients who have little or no prior work experience and need a chance
to develop employability skills before moving into unsubsidized jobs;
WHEREAS, many urban areas, even in regions that are experiencing strong economic
growth, often have an inadequate supply of jobs for low-skilled individuals without
advanced education or training;
WHEREAS, shortages of low-skilled jobs will become far more pervasive if an
economic downturn results in higher unemployment and a shrinking pool of unsubsidized
employment opportunities;
WHEREAS, research suggests that publicly-funded, transitional jobs can boost the
employability of very disadvantaged individuals, including but not limited to longer-term
welfare recipients, while alleviating job shortages in depressed communities or during
periods of widespread joblessness;
WHEREAS, publicly-funded, transitional jobs also can generate other benefits,
increasing the purchasing power of residents in low-income neighborhoods and enabling
public or nonprofit agencies to undertake work projects that address pressing community
needs;
WHEREAS, publicly-funded, transitional jobs avoid many of the shortcomings of
traditional "workfare" programs by recreating the experiences and expectations
of "real work" and enabling individuals to qualify for the federal Earned Income
Tax Credit;
WHEREAS, new federal regulations governing the Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF) program allow cities, counties, and states to use TANF and welfare-to-work
funds to place welfare recipients into publicly-funded, transitional jobs and to prevent
this period of employment from counting against TANF time limits;
WHEREAS, the creation of publicly-funded, transitional jobs will reduce TANF
caseloads and help states meet federal work participation requirements by enabling them to
claim "caseload reduction" credits;
WHEREAS, new Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds also can be used to finance
paid work experience for eligible individuals who are placed in publicly-funded,
transitional jobs;
WHEREAS, the federal government and states routinely create publicly-funded,
transitional jobs for victims of natural disasters but fail to do so for those who
experience great hardships as a result of economic and social forces in our cities;
WHEREAS, cities already have begun to play important roles in the design and
implementation of publicly-funded, transitional jobs programs that help hard-to-employ
individuals gain a foothold in the regular labor market;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges
federal, state, and county governments to work collaboratively with city officials to
develop, implement, and expand innovative programs that create publicly-funded,
transitional jobs for welfare recipients and other hard-to-employ individuals.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors will support the
development of publicly-funded, transitional jobs through partnerships with other national
organizations and through technical assistance to individual cities interested in pursuing
such strategies.
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